"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon, only stalker chick and her family and this Pokemon I decided to make up cause I can't use Mewtwo.

Beyond the ShadowsBetween Head and Heart

"You," he wanted to tell her, to yell to the world. 

To tell her that he thought about nothing else every second, every minute, everyday of his life.  To tell her that she was always on his mind, her name upon his lips, that she was all he ever dreamed of.  To tell her he loved her, that all he wanted to do was just reach out and kiss her.

But he didn't. 

He wasn't that brave.

'How typical,' Ash thought to himself.  'You save the world a couple of times, think that's what makes you brave and that your suddenly some kind of big mucho hero and then wow, you can't even tell a girl you've known since you were ten years old that you love her.'

Ash sighed and shook his head at himself as he thought about everything that had happened that day. 

He was alone right now, by himself in their room in the Pokemon Center while Misty and Brock were downstairs watching TV.  It seemed that thinking was all he could really muster right now still too confused about everything.

"Nothing," he muttered to himself scorning at his response. 

He knew Misty probably felt upset that he wouldn't tell her what was wrong.  He could usually talk to Misty about anything, tell her anything and she would listen to him, she wouldn't pretend she would sit there not interrupting until he was done. 

He wanted to tell her this, he wanted to so badly that he could almost feel the words burning on his tongue struggling to escape, but he couldn't.  He couldn't tell her that he loved her, couldn't tell her anything he felt for her because he just couldn't risk the fact that she might not feel the same.

So he didn't risk it, he lived life as normal, like it was before he fell in love with her.  He pretended she was just his best friend that he wasn't in love with her madly, truly and deeply.  He pretended that he didn't spend all his time thinking about her, he pretended that he wasn't secretly stealing glances in her direction from the corner of his eye and pretending that he didn't see her look back even if it was just that one time.

It all seemed so long ago, like a distant memory he didn't bother to recall, the time before he fell in love with Misty Kasumi Waterflower.  He almost presumed that he was always in love with her, that it was his purpose, his reason in life just to love her.

"Nothing," he scorned again angry at himself because of the small chance that Misty might be angry at him.

Right then Ash just gave up on thinking.  It only made him feel worse about the whole situation between him and Misty.  He began to head downstairs hoping there was still room on the couch for one more person.

"You coming Pikachu?" Ash asked as he turned to his life long companion.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon replied with a nod following Ash's lead.

Ash stopped suddenly part way down the steps when he heard Misty's familiar voice.  It sounded different than usual, not quite so confident, she almost sounded afraid, unsure of herself and sad.

'Please don't be my fault,' he thought sadly.  He hated Misty being sad, it always made him feel as though his own heart were breaking in two just to watch her cry, it was even worse to think it was his fault.

"So how did things go today?" Brock asked her.

"Ash won," Misty replied her voice sounding slightly happier.

"You know that's not what I meant," Brock asked.

"I didn't do it," she replied.  Brock sighed disappointedly.  "Look there was just too much to think about right then without adding that to the mix."

"Hey guys," Ash said suddenly bounding down the rest of the stairs saving Misty from whatever Brock was planning to say.

Misty blushed and looked anywhere but Ash's face.

Brock sighed again as he looked between the two then back to the TV.  "I thought you were sleeping?" Brock asked.

"I was going to but I just couldn't," Ash replied scratching the back of his head like he often did when he was embarrassed or nervous.  "I guess I wasn't as tired as I thought."

"Yeah right," Brock muttered rolling his eyes.  It seemed that Brock was the only one that had all the pieces of the puzzle in place and he often felt like he was playing mediator between Ash and Misty trying to convince them that the other felt the same.

"So what are we watching?" Ash asked as he sat down next to Misty.

"Well we were watching 'Ten Things I Hate About You' but that was before and now I'm out numbered," Misty sighed.  "Go on change it to your stupid action movie."

"Actually I don't mind this," Brock said that goofy look returning to his face.  "You know that Bianca chick is kind of cute."

"Ewww, her?" Misty asked.  "She's a bitch.  Oh forget it, let's just watch the movie."

They sat there watching the scenes go by with ease.  It was the second to last scent that really got to Ash though, the one where she read her poem out loud to the class.

I hate the way you talk to me

And the way you cut your hair

I hate the way you drive your car

I hate it when you stare

I hare your big dumb combat boots

And the way you read my mind

I hate you do much it makes me sick

It even makes me rhyme

I hare the way you're always right

I hare it when you lie

I hate it when you make me laugh

And even worse when you make me cry

I hate it that you're not around

And the fact that you didn't call

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you

Not even close

Not even a little bit

Not even at all

He turned towards Misty as she let out a small gasp and watched tears well in the corners of her eyes.  It was a rarity to watch Misty cry.  She mouthed the words to the poem her lips moving in time with Kat's as if it were she reading the poem.

Brock looked away from the screen and turned in their direction, chuckling to him self at the way Misty and Ash had responded to the movie. 

Ash wore a thoughtful expression pondering the words of the poem and trying to convince himself that they held no significance to Misty, that she was just one of those people that cried at movies.  Heck, she'd cried in 'The Lion King' (A/N : That is such a sad movie) what connection did Misty feel between herself and a bunch of talking lions that held any significance?

Misty's eyes were filled with tears, but she wouldn't let them fall, she couldn't let them fall.  She wouldn't let them see her this weak, she wouldn't let her walls fall down and she would keep up the deception of strength that surrounded her.

Brock chuckled and sighed.  "You know sometime you guys are just too perfect for each other," he said. 

Misty and Ash looked at each other for a second their eyes meeting and a spark flowing through where their bodies touched.  They quickly turned away and moved as far from each other as possible on the tiny couch.

Brock sighed again.  "Too bad you're the only ones that don't notice it," he added regretfully shaking his head as he got up, turned off the TV and left the two alone.

Ash laughed nervously as he watched his older companion leave.  "That Brock," he said his hand behind his head yet again, "he sure does say the strangest things sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess," Misty agreed quietly her mind seemingly elsewhere.

Ash risked a glance in her direction, one that wasn't out of the corner of his eye.  He noticed that though the movie was over the tears that had appeared in the corners of her eyes hadn't left.

"Are you ok Myst?" he asked reaching his hand out and placing it on top of hers.

Misty stared down at their hands, she wouldn't dare look up to meet his eyes; she just didn't think she was strong enough not to cry right now.  But she couldn't cry and no matter what she wouldn't.

She nodded her head and forced a smile onto her face as she blinked back her tears.

"Just thinking about the movie still," she told him.

Ash let out a sigh of relief.  He hated to see Misty sad and to know she wasn't he felt as though a huge weight had just been lifted off his heart.

"Good night Ash," she said standing up.  As if on instinct she leant forward and gently kissed Ash's forehead before she left the room.

Ash blinked and stared blankly ahead while his mind still tried to comprehend her actions.

'Oh my gosh I can't believe I did that,' Misty cringed to herself as she walked into their room.

'oh shit,' Ash thought as he still sat alone down stairs in front of a blank TV screen.  'Misty is going to be so angry in the morning.'

~ to be continued ~

I can't believe I accidently deleted this chapter.  It seems I got a bit ahead of myself and thought I had already posted it or something. 

Thanks for reading and please review, it's the only way I know to continue or not.